Why do we eat?

Well, besides survival we eat as a pleasure. We meticulously pick food that we like and base what we eat on that aspect much more than we base our choices on nutrition.

The evidence of those choices are pretty evident. Obesity, heart disease, cancer, strokes, Multiple Sclerosis etc.

So what can we do to help us lose weight and be healthier? Well for starters we can look at the reasons why we crave unhealthy foods.

Does a broken heart lead you to the cake and ice cream? Does a late night lead to a binge of chips and pop? Does stress lead you to the nearest burger joint?

Look at what you are craving and how you are feeling. You will begin to see patterns emerging. When you start craving those things you’ll know, for example, that you don’t really need a giant plate of french fries but maybe should rather have a relaxing bath and some deep breathing. Or when you crave those cookies you may just need more sleep. 

Many people, especially people with low self-esteem, go through a cycle of food/mood problems. You know, the I-am-fat,-where-did-I-put-those-cookies,-my-gosh-why-did-I-eat-half-a-box-of-cookies-now-I-am-even-fatter routine.

It’s hard to get out of these cycles. But if an underlying issue is causing you to overeat you will NEVER lose weight until you resolve that issue and develop a better relationship with food.

And the problem isn’t just overeating, even though obesity costs the health care system/government millions more than necessary, the real problem is improper balance of foods. Because of this we are developing record numbers of diseases and cancers.

We have all been told that half of our dinner plates should be vegetables. So why do so many of us consider vegetables to be garnish? Oh, and potatoes, don’t really count. They are really pathetic when it comes to antioxidants and overall nutrition. Plus they are starchy so they’ll encourage you to gain weight and won’t offer much back in return.

The healthiest of all diets is a diet that is high in good sources of complex carbohydrates (whole grain, plant foods), lower in plant protein (as in no more than 15% of your overall diet), and no meat and dairy. There are other ways to lose weight but consider the results of The China Study by T. Colin Campbell PhD.

In his 40 plus years of research he has made some startling discoveries. Chinese people have a diet higher in dietary fiber than Americans, eat more calories than Americans, and eat much less protein than Americans and they are slimmer, much less prone to cancer and diseases, and live longer.

His many experiments have shown that people on a diet that consists of more than 5% protein are very prone to developing cancer.

I won’t give the book away because it is too good for you not to read. READ IT!!! It will change your perspective on health and food.